19-Year-Old Memorabilia Collector Helped Lead Police to Tom Brady Jersey Thief

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Federal authorities were able to recover two stolen Tom Brady Super Bowl jerseys thanks to a tip from a 19-year-old Patriots fan from Seattle, who also collects sports memorabilia.

Dylan Wagner told WBZ that he sold Martin Mauricio Ortega, the suspected jersey thief, a jersey on eBay and the two exchanged photos of their collections afterward. When Wagner asked about a Brady jersey from Super Bowl XLIX that was front and center in a photo, Ortega said he would explain later.

Wagner shared those photos with a friend at the ATF's Boston office, which proved to be quite helpful when it came out that the Patriots quarterback had his jersey swiped after the win against the Seattle Seahawks.

Wagner said the photos and two addresses for Ortega he had from their December transaction allowed authorities to obtain a search warrant for Ortega's home and recover the jerseys. Video surveillance shows Ortega, a former member of a Mexican media outlet who was at the Super Bowl on a press credential entering the Patriots locker room after the game before other media members were allowed in. He was then caught on camera walking out of the locker room with the uniform.

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Image via FBI Boston